The Game of Pretend
by silentring
Summary: What happens when Sora Kobayashi, being the helpful guy he is, offers to help the new kid, Riku Miyahara, get rid of his fearsome throng of fan girls...by any means necessary? A bit more than he bargained for. [RxS]
1. Prologue

Warning: Sora x Riku, Leon x Cloud, etc, etc…Boy x Boy warning, essentially. Not your thing? Don't read it.

As a boy who likes boys, however, I must say, I don't quite see what's so offensive!

This is T, may turn M later, we'll see just how slashy I'm feeling soon enough. For now though, a tidbit/ prologue thing. Sorry it's short-ish but it _is_ a prologue!

Let me know what you think, since I'm a pushover for reviews...or whatever you call it.

* * *

The Game of Pretend: Prologue

* * *

"Wake up Sora...Sora...come on...SORA YOU LAZY BUM!" And with that Kairi Yamato poured a pitcher of ice water unceremoniously onto the head of the twin bed's occupant. 

The resulting yelp could be heard for miles...and miles...and miles.

"KAIRI!"

Kairi, a sweet teen girl with reddish hair, violet blue eyes and an impish smile that had manipulated its way into and out of many a situation, batted her eyes, the picture of innocence—except for that smile, anyway.

"What?" she asked and without waiting for an answer zipped out of the room. Sora Kobayashi blinked at the space where Kairi had been a second before, his ocean blue irises glistening in the morning sun that came through his window.

"Aw man," he sighed, but the soft smile on his face spoke louder. This was not the first time Kairi had used the 'wake-by-water' method...and probably not the last. With one deft motion the brunette had his bedding rolled up under one arm and a set of new clothes under the other. Passing their small laundry room he grinned as he saw Kairi's back turned to him, just closing the dryer door. "Think fast!" he said and tossed the bedding at the redhead who turned just in time to get hit in the face with the sheets. A shaking fist could be seen peeking from underneath the pile, but Sora made a quick escape to the bathroom for his typical morning shower.

"Sora!" Kairi pounded on the door.

"Your fault, your fault!" Sora taunted back, and he was right, technically. The pounding stopped.

"Fine, but don't spend three hours in there...you're worse than a girl!" Kairi huffed and Sora laughed good-naturedly as he listened to her footsteps lead away from the bathroom door.

It'd been like this for about a week, sharing a living space. But having grown up together, it wasn't very surprising to him after all this time that they had a certain harmony living together, even if that harmony included some...er..._drastic_ measures.

Sora quickly shed his somewhat damp clothing and welcomed the white steam that drifted lazily around him, the showerhead blasting. He was almost drifting himself when Kairi's voice sounded through the door again.

"Hey Sora!" she knocked on the door, noticeably lighter this time. Sora quirked a brow, looking at the door through the glass shower door.

"What?" he called over the dull roar of the water.

"You better hurry!"

"Why?"

"We're going to be late. It's almost 7:15 now!"

Sora blanched.

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" he exclaimed, soaping up in record-speed. Outside the bathroom Kairi rolled her eyes in an explicit 'duh' fashion.

"I _tried_, Sora. You're the one who sleeps like a rock," she replied, somewhat amused, somewhat frustrated.

"...alright, sorry. Out in a few!" Sora said at last and ducked under the showerhead to rinse his hair—also in record-speed.

The dash to school was almost epic...the kind of epic worthy of exclamation points!

And the like.

Sora and Kairi ran neck and neck, and to any onlookers it might have seemed they were racing each other, but this of course was not the case. Both sped into the front hall of Kingston High, huffing and puffing. They'd made it in under five minutes.

Typically, it would take a normal person about ten to reach Kingston from their dwelling.

Lucky for Sora and Kairi, whatever they were, it was not 'normal' by any stretch of the word...so their peers would all nod heads and agree, anyway.

"Kobayashi, Yamato, you're late." The professor sat at his desk, chin leaning in a lazy fashion on his hand, a lazy fashion no usual teacher would have been so bold or careless to show during work hours. But then, Leon was not your typical professor.

"Sorry," Sora averted his eyes to the floor a bit nervously. Professor Leon always made him just a little bit...jumpy.

"I said you can **take a seat**," Leon's voice bordered on impatient as it broke into Sora's default nervous space-out and, yep, you guessed it.

He jumped, an admirable three or four feet up in the air, actually. Kairi whistled as she took her seat. Sora, face redder than a tomato, mumbled another apology and sunk into his own chair in the desk next to Kairi with a sigh. Well, technically things could've been worse. They could've had detention.

"Oh and Kobayashi?" Leon intoned, flipping through a file Sora hadn't seen before on his desk.

"Ah, yes, professor?" Sora replied, meeting Leon's unreadable gaze with some difficulty.

"Stay after class. I'll write you a late note to your next hour."

Sora's insides squirmed.

"Okay," he said and class commenced, as usual.

Somewhere in the middle Kairi passed Sora a note, but before he could open it, Leon, back still turned to them as he finished writing the day's in-class assignment on the board, said:

"I'm sure he can tell you why I asked him to stay **later**, Yamato."

This time even Kairi sank noticeably lower into her seat.

Though not so much as poor Sora.

Later came and all the students quickly filed out of the room, as usual. No one really wanted to be stuck in a room with Leon for too long...especially alone. He had made making people uncomfortable without even trying into the finest of arts and as a professor, that effect only seemed to intensify. Kairi, letting her worried and curious look flit towards Sora for a moment, patted him on the shoulder as she too made her exit, her last few steps being a little hasty, as if she was in a hurry to escape.

With the door shutting, Sora shifted from foot to foot. Leon sat, arms crossed on his desk, eyeing his pupil with well hidden amusement. He knew the effect he had on the kids. And he liked it that way. Unapproachable and just a little more than a little...well, scary.

His apparent lack of people skills had snuffed out many a student crush on him from each incoming year of female students and also kept students from asking an inordinate amount of what he deemed to be 'stupid questions'.

Yes, Leon believed in such a thing as 'stupid questions'...and stupid people, and stupid things...and well, anything else really.

"Take a seat Kobayashi," Leon said blankly and Sora obediently sat...on top of the nearest desk. Leon arched a brow.

"I meant in the chair..." he said and Sora looked momentarily mortified but before he could slip into the seat, Leon finished, "But whatever. It's fine, since it's only you."

Sora's posture relaxed and his anxiety eased just a bit. Maybe this wouldn't be quite so bad.

"I have a favor, actually, more of an assignment for you," Leon stated.

"Not the homework?" Sora asked, feeling disquietingly dumb.

"Ah, that too, but this is what you'd call a special assignment," Leon said, still vague as ever and Sora, as his imminent fear of his professor began to ebb, began to feel the beginnings of a slight annoyance. Just what was Leon getting at?

"I don't understand," Sora frowned, crossing his arms.

"I haven't finished," Leon said calmly, ignoring Sora's small 'oh' as he continued, "We're having a transfer student, unusual at this point in the term, but that's the word from the higher ups, and can't do anything about it. So your job, your assignment, is to get this student acquainted with the school, the whole welcoming committee gig. Headmaster Strife suggested I do it, but I'm sure you've noticed how well I work with people," and here Leon did something frighteningly unusual.

He smiled.

Only a little.

And more of a smirk.

Oh but it was there.

Sora became nervous again.

"Ah, well," Sora stumbled over his reply. He wouldn't lie to this man. That would be...stupid. But he didn't really feel like saying, 'Well, yes, you have the manners and people skills of a block of wood, only less so.'

"Forget it," Leon said, smirk/smile gone as he then said, "He starts tomorrow and all the kids like you. You're the man, Kobayashi." Leon tossed a file at Sora, who surprised himself by catching it with one hand, almost without thinking.

"I...uh...alright," Sora relented before he could dig his grave any deeper and gave a quick bow before dashing out of the room. Leon watched him go, slightly amused, his previous small smirk back again. The boy had forgotten his late note...

As if on cue the door to the room slid back open.

"Sorry, forgot my pass!" Sora exclaimed, swiping the piece of paper with a rushed thank-you and hurling himself out of the room again only to run straight into someone. Sora fell back with a resounding thud.

"Late?" an indifferent but not unkind voice asked.

"H-headmaster Strife!" Sora picked himself, the file of the new kid, and his late pass back up hurriedly. "I am so sorry!" he bowed. Sora refrained from groaning. He'd been doing an awful lot of apologizing in one morning...

"Don't worry, just go on to class," the blond said, absently smoothing out his jacket and shirt collar. Sora nodded balefully and exited much more quietly than before.

The door closed.

Blue and blue stared at each other a moment, as if sizing each other up.

"Headmaster," Leon nodded nonchalantly.

"Professor," Cloud nodded in return.

"What brings you here?" Leon asked, not budging from his desk in the slightest. Cloud took seat on top of the same desk Sora had just occupied. Leon's smirk became a rare full-fledged smile—which was only a more definite upward quirk of the lips for him, but, as he would say…whatever.

"What's with that face?" Cloud replied almost haughtily.

"You like this face," Leon said coolly, not missing a beat. Cloud shrugged and Leon, seeing it fit, got up and circled his desk to stand in front of the headmaster. "And your tie's crooked, idiot," he added as if in after-thought and began to adjust it without waiting for an answer. Cloud watched his subordinate thoughtfully for a moment, the easy silence of the room quite unlike the previous bemused tension.

"Did you ever think I might wear it like that on purpose...professor?" Cloud asked mildly. Leon paused in his adjustment and then, suddenly, tugged on it slightly, bringing Cloud's face nose-to-nose with his own.

"I thought about it," Leon said and brought their faces that crucial last centimeter closer, angling his down just slightly.

There were no locks on the doors in Kingston High.

Lucky wasn't it, that Leon had a free hour.

**-------------------****-------------------****XXXXXXX-------------------****-------------------**

"You're assigned a student?" Kairi wrinkled her nose at the idea before biting into a rice ball. She and Sora sat during lunch every day underneath the courtyard's Sakura tree.

"I know, but I couldn't exactly...er...refuse," Sora mumbled the last bit.

"Ah yes, Professor Leon. He's a little scary," Kairi laughed softly. Sora rested with his arms behind his head against the base of the tree, eyes closed. Kairi looked down at him thoughtfully. "Wonder who this new kid is though," she commented. Sora tossed the file toward Kairi from his bag. Kairi flipped through with the occasional 'ah', 'hm', and 'interesting' until Sora himself became intrigued and was looking over her shoulder. "He's good looking at least," Kairi remarked, flashing Sora a grin, which Sora openly returned.

"Getting ideas Kairiiii?" Sora poked his best friend in the side playfully. She giggled as only a tickle could elicit and shook her head.

"No! You, on the other hand," she began.

"Oh stop," Sora pouted. "I'm not!" he stated and crossed his arms.

"'Oh stop'?" Kairi mimicked with a limp wrested hand gesture.

"Kairiii!" Sora pouted further, but a smile was working its way onto his face regardless of his strict effort not to.

"I see that smile Sora Kobayashi. You can't fool me. Maybe you aren't but you've thought about it, so help me!" Kairi poked him back and they paused, stared at each other silently, and broke into fits of shared laughter, unbridled and infectious.

"...yeah, yeah," Sora replied, neither completely shutting out Kairi's theory, nor owning up to it.

"But anyway, Riku Miyahara, guess we'll get to see the real thing tomorrow?" she pondered aloud.

"Yep," Sora replied. With a brief furtive look, Sora snatched one of Kairi's remaining rice balls and enthusiastically began to eat, adding after his first swallow, "No big deal. I'll show him around, and that'll be it."

Well, that's what he thought anyway.

* * *

So this may be a bit rusty. I apologize. I've come off of a long hiatus after finally getting my schoolwork together. So long, I had to get a new penname because I couldn't remember my old password or e-mail I used for it. 

Heh.

Love the Sora...who loves the Riku...and...yeah.

-slashable Riyu


	2. Help Me Out

Sora x Riku

Cloud x Leon hints/ moments

Etc

* * *

The Game of Pretend

**_Chapter One: Help Me Out_**

* * *

"I don't see him. Do you see him?" 

Sora stood on his tiptoes, gaze flitting from one spot to another in the main hall of Kingston High.

"Ah, no Sora, but I don't think standing on your toes is going to help," she replied, clearly entertained. Sora was about to deliver what he hoped was a witty retort when a stampede of females all but flattened him.

Kairi, a bit more reflexive, had methodically side-stepped the mess.

"Get the number of the truck?" Sora groaned from the ground. Kairi tugged him up by the back of his shirt.

"No, but I got the truck driver," she said and pointed at an oddly familiar head of white hair...right in the middle of all those ducky females who had just seen fit to make Sora into a disgruntled pancake.

"No wonder we couldn't find him," Sora mumbled and proceeded to try and get through the gabble of gadding girls, all doing some variation on flirting and shamelessly throwing themselves at 'the new kid', Riku Miyahara, of course. "Ah, er, excuse me...hello?" Sora's luck was not with him today, it seemed. Any attempt to get past the throng of girls only served to get him more caught up in the jumble of people until he found himself forcefully backed into someone, tripping, and as far as he knew, on his way down, eyes closed tight on impulse.

That is, until a pair of warm, strong arms halted the fall.

He blinked up at his rather unexpected savior.

"Hi," Sora smiled brightly.

"Hello," Riku replied, not adding the 'beautiful' that somehow worked its way into his mind. Rather shocked at his thought, he found himself staring at the boy in his arms.

"Sorry about that," Sora said, suddenly a little uncomfortable with the silent staring, and tried to stand up only to trip again, once more being caught by the white-haired boy. For some reason, Sora felt flushed, but ignored it as best he could.

"You're not very coordinated, are you?" Riku questioned, his amusement blatant now.

"Heh, well," Sora simply grinned wider and this time managed to pull himself upright. "You're very popular," he commented lightly. Riku's amusement dimmed noticeably.

"It seems that way, doesn't it?" he asked in a very clipped, don't-talk-to-me-anymore tone...a tone which Sora decided to ignore.

"My name is Sora, Sora Kobayashi! I'm your own personal welcoming committee," Sora said, as if announcing some great proclamation, momentarily forgetting his immediate surroundings.

That of a couple dozen rabid fan girls, that is.

"Ano, Kobayashi-kun, I'll show him around for you!"

"No let me!"

"Get out of the way, I was here first. I'll show him the ropes Kobayashi-san!"

And more of the like.

Riku twitched.

Sora chuckled a bit nervously.

Not that he minded tossing Riku off to someone else...he didn't even know the boy...the roguishly attractive, amazing eyes, boy...yeah, didn't even know him...Sora shifted uncomfortably.

Still... he did feel a little guilty about leaving him in the hands of...

Sora gave the growing huddle of fan girls a once over.

It was Sora's turn to twitch.

Yep, just a _little_ guilty about leaving Riku in the hands of...those...girls?

He wasn't sure they were girls so much as human bodies possessed by vengeful demon spirits...if such things existed.

"EXCUSE ME!" Several girls were seemingly flung to either side as Kairi Yamato plowed her way on a direct course for Sora. Once reaching him, she shot him a look. "They should be illegal," she rolled her eyes, but a sly smile graced her lips at the same time.

"Agreed," Sora admitted with a sigh and turned to Riku thoughtfully.

"Riku Miyahara, meet my best friend Kairi Yamato!" Sora's smile was back full-blast, since that's the way Sora was.

"Cheery, aren't you?" Riku asked, feeling the beginnings of a headache.

"Er...uncheery, aren't you?" Sora replied uncertainly. That probably wasn't a real word.

"That wasn't a real word, you know," Riku called him on it. Sora shrugged.

"Does it matter, as long as you know what I meant?" the blue-eyed boy questioned, not at all defensive, just questioning.

"Yes," Riku answered definitively and Kairi snickered. "What?" he asked, annoyance clear now.

"You're a real stick in the mud aren't you," she stated more than asked and proceeded to poke Riku in the chest playfully. "Here Sora and I are, thinking Mr. Stud of the century is going to be prince charming, but it turns out he's a seventeen year-old scrooge!" Kairi continued to laugh.

"Kairi," Sora somewhat pleaded.

"No, she's right, and you don't have to show me around. I'm sure I can fend for myself, Sir Smiles-too-much, so excuse me," and with that, Riku Miyahara all but stalked off.

"See, you went and made him mad now!" Sora pointed almost frantically after the retreating form of Riku and dashed after him. He didn't pick up on Kairi's quiet:

"Yeah, I know, silly Sora."

**-------------------------------------------XXXXXX****-------------------------------------------**

Sora caught up with Riku just in time.

Just in time to see him get mauled by another lot of fan girls, that is.

"Sorry, could you let go of my sleeve? Hey, what are you doing?" Riku tried to shake several girls off, muttering curses in between. Sora, meanwhile, tried his best.

Tried his best not to laugh until his sides split.

Riku spotted him anyway, muffled outburst and all.

"I could use some help, Mr. Sunshine!" Riku yelled as he cast a fearful look over his shoulder.

Yep, fears confirmed:

More fan girls were headed this way.

Sora chuckled. Riku scowled. The fan girls continued to be just a little more than psychotic and a great deal more than touchy-feely.

Much to Riku's rather increasing irritation and frustration.

"Would you all get off?" He managed to bodily force his way through the girls to dash behind Sora who gave him a look that perfectly combined patronizing with amusing.

"I thought you didn't need my help," Sora stated smoothly, the smile never leaving his face. Riku made no attempt to hide his scoff.

"Tcha," was all he said.

But actions speak louder than words.

And Riku was still slightly hunched behind an increasingly bemused Sora whose bemusement traded itself in for pure dread when he remembered the shockingly large group of females in front of him and Riku.

Was it just him, or were their eyes...glowing?

...this couldn't be good.

"Well I don't really know what you want me to do, lover boy," Sora shot back at the rather sulky Riku who continued to scowl.

"I don't know but you're supposed to show me around, be my keeper or whatever, and I think that includes keeping me from being involuntarily disemboweled by...by...that!" Riku shook a finger at the group of girls, now greatly resembling a tidal wave of school uniforms and scary facial expressions.

Sora thought.

The horde of fan girls came closer.

Sora thought some more.

Closer.

"Hurry up Kobayashi!"

"Pushy for a beggar," Sora remarked, his former slight irritation returning. Just who did this guy think he was?

"A prince commands," Riku returned with a devilish smirk that made Sora gulp. For some reason, the brunette had the brief notion that no one should look that good and that questionably sane all at once.

Look that good? Oh no.

He wasn't just thinking about another guy like…

Oh hell no.

"Whatever you say, majesty," Sora joked and noticed suddenly that the girls were close enough probably to reach out, grab him and shred him into tiny bits for standing between them and the delectable Riku Miyahara.

Delectable?

Sora did a quick loop around Riku with a nervous wave.

He had to get away...for a few reasons, it seemed. Riku shot him the first genuine expression Sora thought he'd seen from the boy then: horror.

"Kobayashi don't you dare!" he warned.

"Sorry Riku, ah gotta jet! Class...and stuff...you know...uh, good luck! See you at lunch?"

And Sora Kobayashi turned on his heel and sped away as fast as he could manage—surprisingly fast, actually—the flush on his cheeks not all from the running.

_I wasn't thinking about him that way...I wasn't thinking about him that way…I was not!_

This, Sora chanted mentally to himself so dedicatedly throughout the rest of his classes until lunch, that he missed the four times the professor called on him. Fortunately today was an even schedule and his professor was Aerith...quite a few spades nicer than Leon who probably would have made him hold pails of water outside of class or a desk above his head...or something.

Aerith had simply suggested he take care of his lovesickness sometime before next class.

Which had of course gained many a giggle and laugh from the class.

But Sora was too busy chanting his mantra to himself to really care enough to notice.

_I wasn't thinking about him that way. I wasn't thinking about him that way..._

Sora hadn't really heard of denial before.

Lunch came around sooner than Sora expected...odd, because it came around the same time every school day, but funny how the mind tricked one into having no sense of time at all...

...especially when said mind was just a bit preoccupied with—

"Kobayashi!" A voice all but snapped as Sora entered the cafeteria and a hand shot out, grabbing his collar. Sora blinked as he was brought face to face with his very preoccupation...or the object of his not being preoccupied with...whatever.

"Riku," Sora greeted, wishing he'd put some distance between them...their faces were so close.

"I need to talk to you!"

"But I—"

"Now Kobayashi!" And with that, Riku Miyahara dragged Sora by his tie over to the nearest empty table...which it should be noted soon had the surrounding tables filled with...yep, fan girls.

"Oy, what?" Sora rubbed his neck absently, readjusting his tie. Usually he didn't mind the school uniform but now he was seriously reconsidering.

"Don't 'what' me! You completely abandoned me this morning," Riku pointed out, glare hardly masked...in fact, not at all. Sora exhaled roughly.

"Well, excuse me, Mr. I can show myself around, blah, blah, blah! I figured you could take care of yourself, for some reason," Sora said pointedly. Glass-green eyes narrowed at him. Sora refrained from gulping, but only barely. He hadn't realized how scary Riku was capable of looking.

Apparently, very.

"Well, I figured you would take a hint when I stooped so low as to try and take shelter behind you!" Riku retorted. "And on top of that, do you have any idea how dangerous those things are?"

"Girls?"

"Yes!"

"Well, actually..." Sora mused on it a bit...visions of Kairi socking him a good one in the stomach when he'd accidentally stepped on her sand castle...Kairi hitting his back encouragingly only to send him flying into a telephone pole...Kairi...doing other bodily harm to him with the disconcerting similarity between all of the instances being that many were entirely accidental. "Yeah," Sora admitted, that guilt from before coming back just a bit.

Or just enough.

He sighed.

"Well?" Riku arched a brow.

"Well, what?" Sora asked, already having an idea of what was coming.

"Will you help me get rid of them?" Riku asked tiredly, as if he'd explained it about a dozen times already. Sora met his gaze evenly.

"...what do you want me to do?" Sora asked, not entirely comfortable with the slight upward quirk of Riku's lips.

They were very nice lips though.

Sora, reflexively, hit his head on the lunch table.

_I was not thinking that_, he chanted mentally again, almost rabidly.

Riku, meanwhile, not able to read Sora's thoughts, did the only reasonable thing.

He kicked Sora under the table. Sora let out a yelp, head shooting up off the table as he openly glowered at Riku now.

"Fine! I'll help, whatever, just yeah...I'll help!" Sora exclaimed, exasperated and completely backed into a corner, because reality was, Sora Kobayashi was a nice guy, one of those all-around nice guys that in the end, you could probably con into hopping off a decently sized cliff if he thought it would help someone who seemed to really need it.

Riku seemed to really need it.

Therefore...

"Excellent," Riku...purred?

No, surely Sora was making that up.

He tried his best to get his mind out of alien places and watched as Riku stood up from the table to leave.

"Ah, see you after school?" Sora asked, uncertainly.

"You certainly will," Riku replied and exited the cafeteria, the smug look on his face never wavering.

Sora tried to ignore the sinking feeling he was getting.

If it sunk any lower, he'd be a mole.

**-------------------------------------------XXXXXX****-------------------------------------------**

"So what do you think he'll do to them?" Kairi asked Sora was they exited their final class, another one they shared.

"I don't know," Sora said.

"Or better yet, what do you think he's going to use you for?" Kairi maintained an admirably even tone in her question, though her grin seemed to say something else.

"I don't know, Kairi," Sora replied again, trying ever so valiantly to act as if he completely did not care.

Of course on the inside was another story entirely.

On the inside, Sora was doing something of an 'oh my god, what if, what if...what the hell could that white-haired devil be concocting anyway' panic attack.

But once more, on the outside, it was a rather successful look of indifference.

"Geez Sora, from the way he practically manhandled you today in the lunchroom, I'd be worried," Kairi half-teased, half considered. Sora tried to pretend he hadn't just heard that, failed and turned with a pout to his best friend.

"Kairi, please," Sora rubbed his temples as they exited into the front courtyard of Kingston High where many people stood gossiping and chatting—among them, the monumentally larger group of fan girls, scattered in pigeon fashion around a quietly steaming Riku. Sora, momentarily forgetting his apprehension, laughed.

Riku, who previously had been standing with his shoulders hunched and head down, as if to shut out the world around him, seemed to spring to life at the sound of Sora's laugh. His eyes caught Sora's and lit up...but not so much in the 'oh I'm so happy to see you' way as much as in the 'finally, now things will get interesting' way.

Sora's apprehension returned, tenfold.

"Sora!" Riku waved amicably.

Sora arched a brow.

First name?

Sure he'd been calling Riku, Riku, but that was Sora. He called _everyone_ by his or her first name...he was friendly like that.

But this...

Sora hesitated.

And missed Kairi's amused expression as she let her gaze flicker from one boy to the other. She barely refrained from rubbing her hands together in an 'oh goody, playtime' fashion...barely.

"Sora!" Riku shouted again and this time made his way forcefully through the fan girls to a rather anxious Sora who looked like he might implode from the nerves. "What's got into you?" Riku asked, sounding much more caring than Sora had so far been able to even imagine him being capable of.

"Riku, why are you calling me by my first name?" Sora asked quietly, so the fan girls could not hear.

"You said you'd _help me out_, remember, when I asked you to help me get rid of the...the..." Riku had a hard time getting his mouth around the word, "...girls." Sora sensed a distinctive shudder of dislike from the white-haired boy.

Glancing over at the many dangerous looking females, upper and underclassmen alike, Sora couldn't say he really blamed Riku for his dislike.

Well, here goes nothing...

"Yeah, I did," Sora admitted tentatively.

"Good, I _thought_ so," Riku said, conniving smile back, as he tugged on Sora's tie again, this time much more gently...but firmly enough to have Sora lean forward.

"Wait a minute. Riku wha—" But he never finished.

Because Sora Kobayashi suddenly found his mouth otherwise occupied as Riku Miyahara claimed it with his own.

* * *

Pretty quick update...dunno, just like writing about those two. 

A little Sora/Riku/Riyu dialogue after this chapter:

_Sora: I think you made me kind of dumb_

_Riyu: Oh shush..._

_Riku: I kind of like you that way_

_Sora: What's that supposed to mean!_

_Riku: You're more inclined to do whatever I tell you_

_Sora: What makes you think—_

_Riku: Sora, kiss me._

_Sora kisses Riku._

_Riku: See_

_Sora: it's because he wrote it_

_Riku: it's because you want me_

Next time: the fan girls reaction, the budding 'relationship' of Sora and Riku, and sideline humor from Ms Kairi and more of the gang...probably

Review, won't you? Thanks, means a lot to me!

-slashable Riyu


	3. Don't Remember

Thanks for the kind reviews. Yuki thanks you too. I didn't whine...historical, really.

Sora: ...can we start already?

Riku: Eager are we?

Sora: Ew, no...I didn't mean

Riku: But I do.

Funny how I somehow dragged myself from KHII to write this...how, I just don't know.

Yuki: me neither. You're scary.

Riyu: Hehe.

* * *

The Game of Pretend

**_Chapter Two: Don't Remember_**

* * *

The reactions were, if nothing, wide-ranging. Some girls screamed like banshees while others opted for the 'stare in shock with our mouths wide open' choice and still others simply resigned themselves early on by fainting dead away. 

Of course, Sora was a little...busy, to notice such reactions from Riku's freakishly large fan club.

Busy with...ahem...Riku.

Now, Sora had had girlfriends before, the count of which Kairi was always keenly aware of, in addition to number of girls he'd turned down. Sure he wasn't a Riku or anything, but with his big blue eyes, fair smooth skin, and likable ways, Sora had certainly attracted his fair share of attention. Oh yes, Sora had had girlfriends. He'd even kissed a few.

But none of those kisses quite compared to the one he was getting now.

Hands held him close by his shoulders as Riku pressed his lips harder against Sora's and the brunet inhaled sharply as he felt his fellow student's lips trail under his jaw, down his throat. The grip on his shoulders seemed to loosen, realizing Sora was in no state to struggle away now as Riku returned to his mouth just as Sora opened it to ask him what the Hell was going on.

Riku was always proud of his timing.

At first Sora didn't know what to think as Riku's hot tongue traced his lips and began probing his mouth. Correction, Sora couldn't think. He felt a glimmer behind his ocean blue eyes, hands unconsciously fisting in Riku's shirt as heat shot through him in wave after wave. Not sure how much more he could take, Sora tried to get a hold of himself as he gently pressed against Riku's chest to get some space, but the zealous Riku simply brought his lips near Sora's ear, making the younger boy tremble as the heat of his breath feathered against him.

"You said you'd help me," was the whisper, which felt more like a purr at this closeness.

"I..." Sora stumbled as Riku lowered his head and breathed steadily onto the nape of Sora's sensitive neck. "I didn't...realize...that...it...you...we..." Sora gulped as Riku brought his face back up, bringing him nose to nose with the stuttering Sora.

"It's perfect, you pretend to be my boyfriend, and they'll disappear," Riku whispered lowly to him, one hand resting lazily on Sora's hip, the other framing Sora's cheek, really mostly to keep the boy looking at him.

Not that Riku understood why someone _wouldn't_ want to look at him.

The idea was absurd of course.

"Me? Why me?" Sora immediately replied, nervous, flustered and all too aware of how his flesh felt hot and strange where Riku's hands were…not unpleasant, but strange. As Sora waited for an answer he thought he saw something flash in Riku's eyes, a darker shade, a trick of the light, maybe...and then...pain…loneliness...longing?

Sora blinked.

The look in Riku's eyes was once again arrogant and lazy.

And Sora wasn't exactly sure what he had just seen, even if it was real at all.

"...because you're cute," Riku finally said as if it was the most obvious reason in the world.

Wrong reason.

Sora scowled, which was technically more of a pout since the boy had never quite mastered the 'die now evil being, die now' look and he slipped quickly away from Riku who only rolled his eyes.

"What?" Riku tapped Sora on the shoulder. "What? You _are_ cute," Riku arched a brow as if to say 'and it's a dead lie if you tell me you're not'.

"I'm supposed to show you around, not help you _get_ around," Sora pouted further, and Riku laughed.

"Well I don't want to get around with anyone but you," Riku said and when Sora's face flushed a questionably healthy shade of red-pink, Riku added quickly in a more normal tone, "...to get rid of the fan girls, I mean." Sora nodded slowly, feeling the heat leave his cheeks at the same even pace. That made sense enough, he supposed. But still...why him? Sora rubbed his arm absently, which Kairi, still present recognized as his 'what to do, what to do…nervous, nervous...help me!' behavior.

"Ah well, as nice as that is, I think you'll have to find someone else," Kairi interjected and put a protective arm around Sora's shoulders. She may have had enough power to blast any unlucky person into next millennium, but she also had a soft spot in her heart...especially for Sora. Sora who, meanwhile, was having this strange whirl of emotions inside him. One said, yes, thank you Kairi! The other said, what, no! I don't want him doing any of that to someone else...but then the other voice shot back that he wasn't gay and then the returning voice argued that point until Sora felt like his eyes were rolling around in their sockets.

Absently he rested his head on Kairi's shoulder.

They looked a little like a couple.

Riku, for his part, glowered at the redhead.

"Kairi, is it?" he asked, though it was clear he already remembered her name without asking. She nodded. "Well do tell me, _why_ should I find someone else? The school did _assign_ Sora to me personally," Riku pointed out.

"Ha, and for what? A tour, some help with homework, I don't think any of that includes the life-scarring display you just put on for most of us," Kairi replied with her typical grin, a little devious but entirely feminine all at once, too feminine to seem outwardly dangerous.

Not that she wasn't.

"Scarred for life?" Riku repeated, clearly amused. "Oh I don't think Sora feels that way," Riku intoned suggestively. Sora's head shot up at the sound of his name.

"What?" he asked blankly, eliciting a giggle from Kairi and a sigh from Riku. The boy was something else, surely. Shrugging, Riku's hand shot out, wrapped around Sora's wrist and dragged the boy out of Kairi's protective hold.

"I said I think you enjoyed our little public display as much as I did," Riku murmured, lips against Sora's right cheek. Sora flushed hot again.

Riku seemed to have that effect on him.

Which was weird because, of course, Sora Kobayashi was not gay.

Nope.

Not at all.

Sora felt himself tremble as Riku nipped at his lips teasingly before withdrawing and shooting Kairi a 'see, told you' look with his patented smirk of 'I am so great and better than you, worship me' all rolled into one. Kairi's turn to roll her eyes, she stomped over, grabbed the flustered Sora by his collar and dragged him a full thirty feet away from a rather irritated Riku.

Just who did this Kairi girl think she was?

Sora's...?

And then Riku had a sinking feeling, not unlike the one dear Sora had experienced earlier.

Kairi couldn't be...can't be...

Sora's girlfriend?

The boy radiated gay vibes like no man's business—or in this case, every man's.

But...Riku had been wrong maybe once before...maybe.

Still...Kairi?

Aquamarine eyes took the scene in carefully, not able to hear what the pair were avidly discussing, Sora making wild gestures—which Riku chuckled at—and Kairi matching him for them. They did look like an old married couple from where he stood, Riku admitted with a frown. And Kairi _had_ grown to be very pretty, what with those deep violet eyes and sienna red hair...slender legs…very pretty indeed. And Riku might've considered her a prospect himself if his mind wasn't preoccupied with the brunet standing next to her...Sora...

That's right...Sora couldn't have a girlfriend.

Sora...

Sora who didn't seem to remember him at all. Kairi didn't either, but that didn't matter quite as much to him, though it might have helped, Riku admitted to himself silently.

He repressed a sigh and settled for scowling. Not that he'd expected the boy to remember him. He looked very different back then, whereas Sora had hardly changed at all. Riku also acted differently—pulling hair and boyish brawls being rather different from his overtly sexual advances right now—and it had been over ten years.

But still.

Something painful clenched in Riku's chest.

It might have been his heart.

Still...

Some part of him had hoped...maybe...that those blue eyes would smile at him again...like when...

"Riku?" A hand waved in front of the white haired boy's face, snapping him out of his reverie. Sora's gaze caught him off guard and he felt like maybe he'd drown in those eyes but snapped himself out of that too.

"What?" Riku asked coolly. Sora backed up a step.

"We've come to a decision," Kairi helped. Riku snorted derisively.

"What are you, his girlfriend?" Might as well find out now.

"Something like that," Kairi replied fluidly, shooting Sora a quick look which made him shut his mouth before he could protest. Riku's scowl deepened.

"Well, then, your verdict?" Riku prompted, a clipped tone there now.

Sora frowned. Was he upset with them?

"Sora will _pretend_ to be your boyfriend, but rules are 1: no more of...er...what we just saw, seriously ew; okay, 2: no monopolizing of Sora...I need him too you know," Kairi finished her surprisingly brief list. Riku blinked.

"Fine," Riku replied and then with a thoughtful look, void of his arrogant mask, he whispered playfully, "Bye So-ra!" and left a quick, chaste kiss on Sora's cheek before walking away. Sora stared after Riku until the white-haired boy was out of sight and then turned to Kairi, wrinkling his nose.

"Girlfriend?" Sora asked, equal amounts of shock and 'ew gross' emanating from him. Kairi giggled, tilting her head to the side.

"It was worth it just to see the look on his face," she smirked and when Sora frowned disapprovingly at the comment, she waved her hands innocently. "I don't mean it in a bad way, I just think, it's a good safe-guard for you really Sora," she added. "He seems a bit…er...advanced for you," she tried to phrase it delicately. Sora pouted anyway.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he huffed, beginning to walk home. Kairi shook her head and followed.

"Exactly what I said it means, a little bit advanced, _you know_," Kairi arched her brows suggestively and Sora blushed traffic-light red.

"...oh," he managed, slowing his pace. A hand ruffled his hair playfully.

"Don't get so bashful, silly Sora," she tackled him and he laughed. They really were the best of friends. As such Sora could make fun of Kairi and vice versa as much as the other wanted to without getting too deep in hot water.

It had been when they were very, very little when they first met. Sora had been lost in the nearby woods of their old, beachfront town, and eventually he'd given up trying to find his way, sitting alone, crying. Normally he wouldn't have been alone at all. There was another boy he vaguely remembered playing with, well, squabbling with and occasionally getting along with was a more accurate description, but still...normally that boy would've been with him. But...for a reason Sora to this day couldn't remember, the boy hadn't been there. And so there Sora was, lost...and very afraid.

He'd thought no one would find him, he'd thought he was alone forever.

"_I d-d-don't wanta be...awone," he'd sniffed, hugging his knees to his chest. _

"_Then let's be fwends," a soft voice smiled and Sora had looked up into a pair of mischievous but compassionate violet eyes, covered by shaggy reddish bangs. _

"_Who…who're you?" Sora had asked._

"_Kairi," she'd said and then held out her hand to the young Sora who blinked at it until Kairi added with a roll of her eyes he would become quite used to, "Come on! I wanna play pirates!" This had gotten a giggle out of Sora who looked once more up at Kairi who offered her hand again and this time, he took it._

And that's where it all began.

Now, walking home, Kairi poking him in the side, teasing him about Riku this, and Riku that, Sora couldn't help but smile brightly. He was lucky...to have her.

He knew.

But if she didn't stop poking him…

"Kairiiiiiii!" Sora dodged her next poke.

"Soraaaaa!" Kairi replied, amused as she added, "What? I'm right aren't I? You think he's hot."

"Who?" Sora sped his pace up, feigning innocence. Kairi matched his pace, a sly look crossing her features.

Now, Sora knew exactly who she was talking about...and she knew he did.

"Come on Sora, say it...Riku Miyahara may be a social misfit but with his looks it probably doesn't matter...he's hot, say it!" Kairi smirked as Sora's cheeks became tinged pink. That was all the answer she needed. "Ha!" She shouted triumphantly and when Sora arched a brow at her she shrugged innocently. Sora continued to eye her with suspicion but Kairi wasn't about to give away how well she read him.

Not that it was especially difficult, what with Sora's emotions kind of being stamped across his face like a shirt brand...but still...

He sighed as he slipped the key into the front door, turning it.

"So-ra!" Kairi giggled, imitating Riku.

Sora jumped, dropping the key, earning him full-fledged laughter from his 'best friend', soon to be ex best friend if she didn't stop laughing at him so much, Sora thought sulkily as they entered the apartment.

Kairi passed him, flipping on some lights as she went idly.

"What do you want for dinner?" Sora called to her as he slung his backpack over a chair.

"Don't care!" Kairi called back. Sora nodded to himself and headed into the kitchen. They usually swapped turns daily making meals. Tonight?

Sora went for the chocolate chips, flour...sugar…

"Sora we can't eat just cookies for dinner!" Kairi's voice called through the small apartment. Sora paused in his gathering with a pout. She knew him too well.

"Fiiine! But just so you know, chocolate chip cookies definitely add years to your life and uh...make...your hair shinier!" he shouted back in his defense, and heard a distinct giggle in the background.

_**----------------------------xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-------------------------------------**_

Not far from there Riku Miyahara dusted himself off absently as he entered his own single apartment. There was a bathroom, a kitchenette, a bedroom and the tiniest of living rooms, but it was plenty for him. He didn't do much entertaining, not that he'd been there that long anyway, but it was the same as at home, since he didn't do much entertaining there either.

His stomach demanded food loudly more or less, but ignoring it, Riku dropped his bag to the floor and made his way into his small bedroom. Simple with white walls he probably wouldn't bother to change and plain blue bedcovers he was too fond of to change even if he wasn't excessively lazy, Riku's room suited him to a T. A sliding glass door led out onto a small balcony on which one could watch the moon or the sun, both of which Riku would probably view more than few times and the closet was surprisingly roomy for such a small space. All in all it was perfect.

Sliding the closet door open Riku reached up to the top shelf, way above most people's reach and pulled a box down, setting it on the bed beside him as he sat at the foot of it. With a breath Riku opened it. There was only one thing in it, for all that it was a decently sized box.

"You don't remember at all," Riku smiled sadly, tracing his hand over the photo so gently it was as if he thought it might disintegrate at his touch. In it was a very, very young Sora and next to him a very, very young Riku who was showing signs of developing his trademark smirk, while Sora wore an innocently bright smile.

Riku let his aquamarine gaze turn to the sky through the window briefly.

It was a deep beautiful blue...like _his_ eyes.

Riku shook his head and glanced at the photo one more time before replacing it in the box. He was starting to feel a little stalker-ish and that was never good. He didn't want it to come off that way. He hadn't even meant to pull Sora into this whole boyfriend farce in the first place.

No his original plan was for it to be real.

But...it seemed for now this was what he'd gotten himself into.

And since Sora didn't seem to remember the little boy he used to play with...the one before Kairi came into the picture...well, Riku would take what he could get.

It would probably be awkward at best if he tried to 'make' Sora remember. Riku could just see it now: "Hey, I'm that kid who used to pull on your hair and tease you and the one who built sandcastles with you and the one who played hide-and-seek with you...and...and…" yes, Riku could see it all very clearly. And that simply would not work. People you were a mix of best friends and best rivals with didn't appear out of the blue and say "And lastly, the one who loved you and is _in love_ with you now!"

No, people just didn't do that.

That aside, Riku was also a firm believer in the 'what will be, will be' motto.

Plus the chance that Sora would return his feelings...his most precious feelings...

Riku pushed the box back up into the closet and shut it.

Well, that chance was less than one a million, as far as he knew.

You're an idiot, a voice in his head scoffed. Riku brushed it off.

Seriously, less than one in a million.

Yeah, sure, the voice returned.

"Knock it off, would you?" Riku snapped and then, realizing he was talking to himself groaned, running a hand through his hair.

Food.

He needed food...that would make him stop talking to himself like a crazy person and get his mind off of Sora.

Surely, that was all he needed.

Riku did a quick run-through of his cupboards. Having just gotten there, there wasn't much...in fact, there was only water, milk, bread, and cookies...

Basics, right?

Riku settled on the cookies.

Chocolate chip...

Sora's favorite.

The white haired boy hit his head on the breakfast counter dully.

Mind off of Sora?

Fat chance.

* * *

Chapter 2! Wheehoo. Hope you liked it.

Yuki says I should stop taking from our personal lives. I say everything is fair fodder in fanfiction. Ha. Besides, he did constantly destroy my sandcastles...granted that was last year and we're well over the age Sora and Riku were...er...okay. Haha.

Riku: whoa, stop there.

Sora: -nods-

Riku: -to Yuki- How do you stand him?

Yuki: -shugs-

Next chapter some LeonxCloud because I'm fond of them in ties, kissing the hell out of each other in a classroom...er...too much information perhaps? Heh. Also next chapter more RikuxSora…duh…and Riku's never been good at controlling his jealousy so...what happens when on top of thinking Kairi's Sora's girlfriend...someone else begins to show interest in the brunet, blue-eyed wonder?

What indeed.

Review, review, review. 

Yuki: You have no shame.

Riyu: You like that about me.

Yuki: ...-cough-

Riyu:–chomps on a chocolate chip cookie-

(In case you were wondering where that came in...totally random, to be honest I'd planned for it to be cheesecake or something since I was just eating some really good stuff yesterday but then I was thinking why on earth would Riku have cheesecake? And I couldn't come up with an answer. Cookies are easier to get a hold on and much more likely to be lying around. Chocolate chip is MY favorite, so it wins by default. Heh. Yuki likes oatmeal raisin. Ew...no offense...just...ew.)

-slashable Riyu

p.s. sorry for any typos etc, I'll re-edit later, but the game calleth.

Yuki: -holds up a sign that says REVIEW with a blank look-

That's the way, lover!


	4. 3: Strange but Familiar

**The Game of Pretend**

**Chapter Three: Strange but Familiar**

**

* * *

**

Sora had the feeling he'd been duped. Twice in fact.

Duping point one: when Leon...er, _professor_ Leon assigned him as a welcoming committee because of his 'cheerful' and far more tangible people skills.

Duping point two: when Riku had persuaded him to play boyfriend for an indefinite period of time.

Sora had the distinct twitch at the back of his neck that told him in clearly derisive tones: no good can come of this...for you!

Ha.

Ha.

So much, in fact, that on the walk to school he was spacing out more than usual and that was never a good thing. Violet-tinted eyes flitted from staring ahead as the school came into view, to staring at the silent boy to the right, the corners crinkling in a tell-tale sign of concern even as she reached out a hand to tap him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Sora? Sora?" and this time her tap was a bit firmer and he shook his head, blinking rapidly as if having been woken up from a dream.

"Mm, oh what? Sorry," Sora shrugged dimly and his trudge seemed even more apparent now. Kairi highly suspected him of actually dragging his heels on purpose.

"Aw come on, it's not like it's the end of the world, and at least he's attractive, and funny, and—"

"Then why don't _you_ pretend to be his _girlfriend_!" Sora cut her off sharply, and so taken aback by his unusually cold tone, Kairi only blinked after him as he sped off on his own through the school gates. She shuffled her feet, readjusting her backpack as she bit her bottom lip and smiled slightly, eyes glued to the ground.

"Oh Sora...don't be stupid."

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Cloud Strife was not always certain how he'd ended up the headmaster of a high school. It gave him a bit of a headache just thinking about it, so really he tried not to...often. Other people wondered enough for him anyway. Several things made his position seem unlikely, one being his youthful appearance—the man couldn't be a day past 23—and another being his overly relaxed—some said indifferent—attitude about it all. In a day and age when powerhouse feminists or male equivalents seemed to dominate the school system, Cloud was if nothing else an anomaly—if anything else, there isn't a word for it yet. Then there was his look.

It just wasn't normal to have such a gorgeous headmaster.

All the girls agreed.

Some boys did too (those who lost girlfriends to daydreams of the blond-haired educator, and those who had their own daydreams.)

But he was glad he'd ended up where he now presided.

"Hey."

Leon blinked.

A voice from his doorway?

He looked up, gazing half-interestedly over a file he was even less interested in, if possible.

In Leon's classroom the desks were all perfectly lined up, the blackboard immaculately clean, and everything just so hellishly perfect it would make the neatest of neat freaks cringe. Headmaster Cloud Strife, however, only laughed as he entered, sliding the door quietly behind him.

He meandered a little further into his subordinate's domain.

"What, our custodians don't do it well enough for you?" the headmaster inquired of the seemingly lazily resting figure of Leon, legs up on his desk as he leaned back in his seat like the careless and indifferent teenager he'd been.

A pseudo-slacker.

"Nobody does it well enough for me," was Leon's cool response. Cloud rolled his eyes.

"I'm hurt," he feigned, and then tugging upward on his own tie in a hang-man's gesture he then said, "I have failed to please the great Leon, oh woe is me, I shall take mine self to be executed in the classic _school-uniform-strung-to-classroom-ceiling_-method."

At this unusual but amusing show of drama, Leon opened his eyes slowly, lashes almost teasingly hiding some of his blue irises at first. He rolled those same eyes.

"That's a method I've never heard of. I'd love a demonstration though. Please, do continue." Leon did his best to look stoic, and as he'd had so much practice at it over the years, it shouldn't have been hard.

But Cloud Strife just happened to be a force to reckon with and the best Leon could do when looking at the unabashedly silly man in his suit and tie in front of him, was look vaguely amused.

Which was saying something.

"Okay, what'd I do now? You're being...that way...you know? Kinda...well I think the word is bitchy...for you at least." Again, if any student had heard their infamously cool-headed, not flippant, and most prominently, not gay headmaster say this, well, apocalypse would've been close behind. But no student heard this.

And so every student except maybe Selphie who was keener on such things than people gave her credit for, thought that Cloud was straight as an arrow, or however the phrase went.

Straight as a curly fry, would be a better, much more accurate way to say it, but they didn't know that of course.

"I am not being bitchy," Leon scoffed and then: "Where were you yesterday?" Point disproved.

Cloud let his hand drop, his tie lightly hitting the front of his perfectly ironed white shirt. His expression had lost its previous frivolity and it had been replaced by a noticeably more conflicted look as his brow furrowed and he looked away. To himself, Leon nodded and his gaze grew darker.

"Well?"

"Sorry, I know we were supposed to meet," Cloud said quietly.

"It's not like it was a date or anything, don't get so grim," Leon joked, which was only funny because it was him saying it. But Cloud, familiar to being privileged enough to see this side of Leon, did not laugh.

"I thought it was," the blond admitted. The brunet's attempt at wry humor died on his lips.

Sighing, Leon dragged his legs off his desk and stood, walking silently over to Cloud who, as before, was perched on one of the many perfectly clean student desks.

"Where were you, huh?" Leon asked again, but it was gentler this time. When Cloud continued his staring contest with the side wall, Leon scowled and grabbed the blonde's chin in his right hand, forcing him to face him. The action, however, was not harsh, just demanding, there being a fine line between the two. "Cloud..."

"...Tifa." The headmaster said quietly. The professor's hand dropped abruptly as he nodded dully, processing and considering all at once.

"I see," was all he could say though and Cloud glared at him for it.

"It's not like I wanted to be with her more than you," he both claimed and pleaded, a strange but genuine melding of emotions as he reached out a hand and squeezed Leon's shoulder. Leon was now the one looking away.

"I know," the brunet admitted but continued, "Still, maybe we shouldn't do this...anymore." The hand on his shoulder gripped it tighter unconsciously.

"What?"

"I don't know," Leon said even as he felt Cloud move behind him, wrapping his arms completely around to clasp his hands in front of his chest.

"Don't say stupid things," Cloud murmured into the nape of Leon's neck, inhaling the scent of all he wanted and all he honestly thought he ever would want.

"Tifa aside Cloud, this isn't exactly proper behavior for a high school professor and the high school's headmaster is it? What if someone caught us? We can't keep having meetings here. It's too—"

"But we never have time anywhere else," Cloud interrupted, frowning as he slipped his arms away so he could circle on Leon, facing him now. Leon's eyes narrowed.

"No, _you_ never have time anywhere else because you are either busy with the school, understandable and fine, or you are with her...not fine, and not understandable," Leon corrected him, arms crossed.

"Tifa could never be to me what you are," Cloud said softly and almost Leon felt himself pathetically melt at the mix of his lover's words and expression...almost.

"A little more action, a few less words then, alright?" Leon sighed. It was too early in the school day for this kind of argument. He'd thought he'd escaped, lived life with none of the well reputed 'drama' of high school, only to have it come and bite him in the ass when he showed up to teach at the damn place.

It looked like he'd have to suffer like everyone else, just at the age of 25 instead of 16.

Oh _joy_.

Cloud watched as Leon went into a thoughtful look and decided to make good on Leon's suggestion as he leaned up and rather than planting a kiss on Leon's neck, bit at it softly. Eyes widening suddenly, Leon had only a second or less of notice before hands curled in his hair, fisting, encouraging him to lean back a little more, which he did even as he felt Cloud's lips memorize every part of his throat, his jaw, and then with a release of his hand, finally, his lips. '

The kiss was a good one.

More than good actually.

"You know that's not what I meant," Leon mumbled against Cloud's lips before taking initiative and darting his tongue in and avidly exploring Cloud's mouth, a pastime for him that never seemed to grow old. Pulling away slightly after a few more minutes of rather heated lips locking, hands roaming, and moans escaping, Cloud pulled back slightly. His cheeks were now flushed pink and his usual attire rather impressively mussed up. But privately Leon thought his lover never looked better than he did like this, all worked up in his work clothes.

Well, there was the way his lover looked without any clothes at all...Leon supposed that may be the one other time Cloud looked better.

But maybe that was his personal bias. Others might disagree.

Not that he'd ever let anyone else see _his_ Cloud without clothes.

Oh no, no.

Definitely not.

"You want to go somewhere tomorrow?" Cloud's voice interrupted Leon's possessive train of thought. He blinked.

"Hm?"

"I said, do you want to go somewhere tomorrow?" Cloud flicked Leon's forehead playfully as Leon scowled and smacked him lightly in retaliation.

"Sure, but showing up this time would be a good idea, _headmaster_," Leon stared, a glimmer of humor behind the blur-grey irises. Cloud mimicked the expression in answer, but allowed a half smile to show as well.

"You pick the place and time. I'll be there."

"Fine."

"Fine."

The two then proceeded to partake in a lengthy staring contest.

Two minutes...five...ten...

And like many similar staring contests between the two young men, this one continued on for some time but this was fine. To Cloud and Leon, for just a moment, there was no world beyond the classroom door, just this room, this silence, this shared space of breathing and hearts beating. Nothing more and nothing less; yet neither would move to break it first.

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The slam of the locker sent a visible rattle through the long line of others as Sora let the door swing open, scowling into its messy contents. Sometimes he wished he was a little more organized, but even as soon as he began to think such things, he laughed. The chances of that happening were...well, there weren't any really. By nature Sora was somewhat messy—Kairi would snort and correct him with 'slob' but Kairi wasn't there at the moment—and this was the way it had always been, and probably always would be. His parents had been mostly resigned to this fact of life by the time Sora reached age five and seemed to take the greatest pleasure in tossing his clean clothing around in order to make his room look messier on purpose. Of course now it was a default habit but what was done was done. So thinking, Sora squinted as he thumbed through various books and folders jammed at especially crafty angles in the rusty locker of 10938 and squeaked slightly as his AP Biology book decided to come tumbling down from the top. He clenched his eyes shut waiting for the familiar feeling of something falling on top of him but it never came. He cracked an eye open to see a hand clasping the book with ease right above his head.

"You ever think about cleaning this thing?" a familiarly amused voice inquired and Sora rolled his eyes. Of course...fate was surely sticking her tongue out at him, Sora was certain.

"No," Sora replied and snatched the book back, stuffing it in the locker and closing it, forgetting what he'd gone into it for in the first place and slinging his bag over his shoulder to make a hasty exit.

A hand shot in front of him, bracing itself against the locker next to him, blocking his escape. He turned the other way. But damn, people were born with two hands and Riku was certainly not going to waste one of them. His left hand shot out blocking Sora's other route of simple escape and Sora now turned to face his assignment with a grudging look. That look was thrown back at him like a bubble.

"What?" Pop.

"What do you mean, _what_?" Sora ducked to pass underneath the barricading arms but Riku only closed them in around him, pressing against his arms like a soft vice.

"What I mean, is what are you doing? You seem...sulky."

This was not what the brunet wanted to hear right now.

"Sulky?" He tried to wriggle out of the firm grip Riku had on his arms but failed and settled for glaring instead, which to his further annoyance only seemed to earn him a ghost of a smile from the taller boy. Sora huffed silently, trying to show how much this displeased him, to prove to all of the students walking by and the eyes wandering on him and Riku that this was not a setup he enjoyed.

He didn't like how Riku's hands seemed to leave a trail of heat on his flesh wherever they brushed and he didn't like how Riku's steady, unreadable gaze seemed to make his cheeks flush or his breath intake grow sharper. He didn't like it. Nope.

And of this Sora was so uncertain that he only knew that if other people believed he didn't like it, maybe he would too.

He wasn't supposed to like boys.

"What's the matter, dummy?" Riku had leaned in close now, his nose almost brushing against Sora's, his breath so near it mingled with the other boy's until it was like they were breathing in each other. But something about Riku's words struck something in Sora and he closed his eyes suddenly as another voice seemed to ask him the same thing: _what's the matter, dummy_? It seemed far away, like something he might have imagined...someone else's voice asking him that same thing...

It was before he had met Kairi…he'd gone and climbed a tree that day if he recalled correctly...the tallest tree in the neighborhood and he'd been very, very proud. Clambering down the branches he'd been so excited he forewent the last few and this had been a mistake as when he landed his ankle twisted in a sharp wrench of pain. And there he'd sat, trying very hard not to cry because he'd been told many times by other boys of his age that crying was only for sissies, sissy girls, for that matter, and while it might have hurt enough to bring the tears welling, Sora did not let them fall. He had his pride even then. He'd fallen asleep under the sun after a while, pushing the pain of his ankle out of his head and then, sometime after that was when he heard it: _what's the matter, dummy_? A voice...he'd opened his eyes and someone had been there, someone laughed at him and someone helped him, all the same person...they helped him get home, piggy back style actually.

But for some reason, Sora couldn't put a name or face to that someone.

"Sora?" His eyes shot open to meet aquamarine ones, uncharacteristic anxiety written in the irises.

"Er..." Sora mumbled and then, "Can you please let me go? People are staring."

A considering look and a second later, the warm hands on his arms were gone and Sora found he missed the heat from the contact but brushed such thoughts away.

No, no, and _no_.

Besides even if he did...his parents...well.

Never mind.

The answer was no.

Sora nodded half to himself. A presence fell into step beside him.

"...are you backing out?" was the oddly quiet question. In fact it was so quiet that Sora stopped in his tracks and stared blankly at the silver-haired boy beside him.

"Wha—I...well..." he stumbled. Yes, stupid, say yes! Part of his mind was waving a baseball bat around in emphasis. He opened his mouth, "Uh, no."

Oh snap. His mind hit itself with the metaphorical baseball bat.

"Good," Riku murmured, as though to himself and Sora half expected the boy to lean in and kiss him as he lowered his face close to his again, but he only received a thoughtful smirk before Riku turned to go to class. Slightly miffed, Sora followed wordlessly.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Poke.

Tap.

Jab.

Flinching, Sora angled his gaze slightly over his shoulder, enough to see it was Riku who was the culprit, not that Sora was the least bit surprised of course. Shifting in his seat slightly, chin propped on his right fist, he studied the transfer's expression.

The words bored and lazy came to mind immediately.

On their heels were thoughtful and spacey.

These were feelings Sora was well acquainted with but for some reason they drew themselves differently on Riku, the thin line his lips made having tinges of a smirk instead of a pout...the blank slate imitation his eyes created having hints of shadow instead of speckles of light…these sorts of subtle things that Sora really felt he shouldn't be noticing.

Not that he stopped.

"Kobayashi, care to join us?" Leon's tone was clipped as usual, arms crossed across his chest, left eyebrow arched in a fashion that suggested amusement...very Leon.

Blinking rapidly Sora mumbled something of an apology, blushed the shade of a brutal sunburn, and glued his eyes to the blank paper in front of him.

This being enough of an answer for Leon, the lesson continued without further mishap.

Except that Riku wouldn't stop poking him.

"Knock it off, would you?" Sora whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"Bored," was the deadpan reply.

Poke.

"Riku..."

Poke.

Sigh.

And so it went.

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Riku eyed the brunet in line beside him curiously. He'd been acting a little more than odd today, less prone to flushing a healthy pink hue, more prone to snapping and muttering. He couldn't remember a time when Sora had ever expressed this sort of dull attitude when they were little...sadness, yes...loneliness, yes...but not this. This was different and Riku was simply itching to know what 'this' might be, but Sora had throughout the day remained decidedly closemouthed about it.

Another unusual thing.

_Maybe this was too much_, Riku mused, not for the first time as the lunch lady, hair-net decorated in strange oddities Riku recognized as wildly colored beads, slapped down something that the menu said was mashed potatoes. The detached killer with an agenda look that the lady wore kept Riku from inquiring if these were in fact edible things on his lunch tray and he moved down the line, waiting as Sora entered his pin.

Only as he was entering his own pin did Riku notice that Sora's tray was rather empty, a lone cup of pudding in the left corner, a carton of milk beside it.

Okay that's it.

"Hey," balancing his tray with ease in one hand, he used the other to settle firmly on Sora's shoulder. Blue eyes glanced at him over a shoulder with unexpected intensity and Riku forgot what he wanted to say.

"Let's go sit down. Kairi's over there," Sora said after an awkward few seconds and started over to where the redhead was indeed waving cheerfully at the pair of boys. Rolling his eyes, Riku slid onto the bench next to her as they came over to the table. This earned him an obvious and almost identical look of confused surprise from both Sora and Kairi who shrugged at each other as if Riku wasn't there at all and then dropped it.

"So how is your day going?" Kairi asked, poking the day's entrée with her plastic spork dubiously.

"Mother hen," Riku noted wryly and proceeded to inspect the mass of mashed whatever on his tray next to the stuff that was masquerading as some sort of familiarly unidentifiable vegetable.

"Pft, maybe," Kairi knocked his arm slightly, causing his arm to angle and the bit of mashed whatever to sail up and hit Riku square on the bridge of his nose. Riku was vaguely aware of something like an 'oops' from his left and a snicker in front of him—Sora—and closed his eyes briefly. Honestly. He reached for a napkin only to find he hadn't grabbed any. Damn.

"Here," Sora was still laughing but Riku appreciated the lightness there compared to the dreariness from the day so far. The brunet circled the table to stand beside Riku and gently wiped the dab of food away. It didn't hurt, even though the napkin was the rough cafeteria kind that normally made one's skin burn; Sora was inspiringly careful and Riku felt the scrutiny in those bluer than blue eyes, wishing it was for the reason it so clearly wasn't. Satisfied with his cleanup, Sora stepped back, nodded and scrunched up the napkin, tossing it over his shoulder into the nearest wastebasket and shot Riku a grin.

"Thanks," Riku said as Sora returned to his seat and had at his pudding with ravenous force. A dismissive nod was all he got in response but Sora was still smiling and that was enough for the moment. Kairi, watching the two thoughtfully, shared a secret smile with herself.

"So Riku, you going out for any clubs or anything? They don't usually take people so late but since you're a transfer I'm sure they'd give you a try," Kairi said after a companionable silence. Riku pushed his tray of mystery food away with one more look of misgiving and shook his head.

"Nah, not really my thing," he said, wrinkling his nose at the thought. A tapping noise snagged his attention and his eyes skimmed back to the brunet across from him, absently drumming his fingers on the lunch table.

"You should try _something_," Sora said, waving a disapproving finger.

And he was back to his old self suddenly, any dour notes from before visibly erased for the moment. That said, Riku wasn't about to be ordered around by anyone, least of all Sora...well, not if he could help it.

"Don't want to," Riku frowned with a roll of his eyes.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"Alright," Sora blinked at him thoughtfully and then demolished the rest of his pudding before they all headed off to the next period.

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Sora hadn't known what he expected Riku to say when he laid his hand on his shoulder in the cafeteria...hadn't known what he expected Riku to do at all, but something in the way his stare had bored into his own had loosened his defenses just slightly. Something about the way they widened slightly when Sora turned to meet his gaze, as if surprised but hiding a secret joy.

And Sora noted that this was a silly thought but could not ignore it even then.

Do I make him happy?

Sora wondered. They'd known each other maybe two days? Three-ish?

But something felt familiar in Riku's presence, something much older and nameless.

Do I make him happy?

_Maybe he'd been worried because of my mood swing, or something_, Sora thought idly as he took notes in the day's last class, hardly legible ones that he would surely have to re-copy from Kairi—whose handwriting was very neat and loopy.

Or maybe...

But this was pretend.

He had to remember that.

No way would Riku really like him like that. Heck he hadn't even tried to be his friend before demanding such a ridiculous charade.

Something grew cold in Sora at this realization.

Well anyway I'm not even...I don't...like...boys...right?

But his argument was dwindling every time he caught aquamarine eyes staring at him and felt an exhilarating blush run through his blood and his pulse quicken.

Riku's more of a girl anyway, part of Sora's humorous side jabbed in a laugh, with that silken silver hair and those long pretty lashes of his...

Sora leaned down on his desktop, burying his chin against his arms, covering his mouth as he smirked at the notion. Riku, a girl...he'd hate that I thought that. As if on cue, and it might have been—Sora had some bones to pick with the forces of fate—a crumpled piece of paper brushed his shoulder as it fell to land next to his foot. Sweeping it up discreetly, Sora opened it and smoothed it on his desk.

He blanched.

The drawing was not all that bad, cute even, in that five year-old scribble fashion, but it wasn't the artist's technique that had Sora quickly ball up the paper again and stuff it in his bag. Nope. Rather, it was the artist's subject...er...subjects.

Shooting a scowling pout at the positively evil redhead beside him, also known as Kairi, best friend and puppet master supreme if it suited her, who was giving him a doe-eyed look of innocence that he didn't buy for a second.

She mouthed something to him, lips twitching as if she were about to burst at the seams with laughter.

_Duh_.

It was not the most intelligent, nor was it the most elaborate of words to mouth silently at the squirming brunet. But it said enough as another flush ripped through and tinted his skin a salmon pink.

_Kairi_.

He mouthed her name back, a pleading look paired with it and she shrugged and turned back to note-taking, a merciless smile gracing her face that told Sora this could not bode well for him at all.

When he was certain she was once again engrossed in the lesson—or as engrossed in a lesson as Kairi or him for that matter ever got—Sora withdrew the crumpled drawing and eyed it, shaking his head.

It wasn't explicit or anything. Kairi wasn't like that.

Or if she was Sora had no desire to know any time in the near future...or _ever_.

No it wasn't dirty or the like. In fact it was so implicitly fresh, and sweet that it made Sora that much more uncomfortable. The scribbled figure to the left was clearly meant to be Sora, what with the spiky hair of gravity-defying standards and a grin to outdo most sunny days and a jaunty stance to match. To his right, an arm slung around his neck affectionately, was a scribbled person Sora knew right away must be Riku; that smirk was patented by the boy, surely. And he was kissing Sora, just a 'we might be friends or more' kiss on the cheek, Sora's scribble seemingly laughing with one eye shut, the other gazing amusedly at Riku, his hands resting on the arm around his shoulders...

And the most striking thing of all of course, was that they weren't quite the right age.

Maybe Kairi just couldn't capture teenagers well, but here they looked maybe five, very childish in all senses of the word—spiritually, bodily, lovingly, openly.

Some part of the embarrassment was winding away down a road Sora wasn't treading and in its place came a sense of sadness...regret...an ache in his chest. Without noticing it, his hand had found its way to rest over his heart, clutching slightly.

He thought he was hearing something...remembering something...voices...?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'_You'll always find me...right?' _

_Blue like the sky..._

'_Yeah, always'_

_Turquoise...? No...aqua...aquamarine...like..._

'_Promise?'_

_A setting sun..._

'_I...'_

_The rising moon..._

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"Hey, are you okay?" Someone was tapping him lightly on the shoulder. Opening his eyes, surprised to find they'd been closed at all, Sora opened his mouth but no words came out. He nodded his head and sunk lower into his seat, hand slipping from his heart to his side limply.

What the heck?

The person who had tapped him back into consciousness stared at him uncertainly, brow knitting in silent debate.

"What?" Sora asked tiredly.

"You should get some rest," the blond boy said at last and turned forward in his seat...what was his name? Digging in the closets of his mind a light bulb flickered...Roxas...right. Sora didn't know much about the boy. He seldom spoke to people outside of his friend Hayner, who Sora also wasn't much familiar with. Mostly those two kept to themselves and a few other kids who went to a neighboring school...some redheaded guy or other...Sora wasn't quite sure. It never really mattered to him. They didn't speak and they respected each other's space; neither boy was much interested in stirring up trouble for no reason. They left that up to other people. Shrugging off the boy's unexpected shadow of concern for him, Sora did not crumple the paper clutched in his other hand again, but folded it and placed it discreetly in the pages of his planner.

Somehow he couldn't bring himself to throw it away.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The three exited the building together, filing out one after the other only to line up in perfect method beside each other, Sora in between a thoughtful Kairi and an indecipherable Riku. Various students were milling about, chatting, laughing, doing the usual after-school bit—whatever that entailed for each person. The red haired guy was there again, Sora noticed even as Roxas walked by the trio to meet him. They exchanged hellos and the red haired boy, quite a bit taller, seemed to laugh at something he said and winked suggestively at the blond who shook his head. But he was smiling too. As Sora, Kairi, and Riku passed through the school gates, the brunet saw Hayner run up to join the teasing duo and knock fists jokingly with the red haired one.

_They must be good friends_, was the thought as Sora and the other two continued down the street in silence for a while, a soft breeze making his bangs go wild and he batted at them like a cat might.

"Need a haircut," he muttered, his mood considerably weighed down by the odd reaction Kairi's harmless doodle had drawn from him, preoccupied.

"You cut your hair? Since when?" Kairi teased and Sora exhaled roughly, a wordless pout.

"I'll do it," Riku offered, arms lazily bent behind his head as if he was reclining.

"You cut hair?" Kairi asked, totally serious now as she gave the silver-haired boy a 'yeah right' look mixed with a quick 'you're not kidding...?'

"So?" Riku replied stiffly and she laughed at him but this was to be expected.

"Okay," Sora said.

That was not.

"_What_?" Riku and Kairi's tones varied from surprised to downright disbelieving respectively.

"I said 'okay', or were you joking?" Sora arched an indifferent brow at Riku before letting a bright smile show. "I mean, if you're up to the challenge," he flicked a spike of his brown hair for emphasis. Kairi shook her head. Riku chuckled and ruffled said hair affectionately.

"Sure, sure, when?"

"Are you busy right now?"

Two sets of eyes were once again resigned to stare blankly at him for a moment.

Personally Sora wondered if he'd really been acting so detached all day as to deserve this kind of reaction, but ignored the pondering in favor of poking Riku in the chest, smile still teasing his lips.

"Well?"

"Nah, he's not busy," Kairi replied for the boy, having gathered her wits again and as they came to the crossroads, she turned on the street where she and Sora lived, waving at the two.

"Since when do you plan my schedule?" Riku retorted, more amused than defensive.

"Aw wouldn't you like to know," Kairi smirked in a way that discouraged further debate and then added to Sora, "I'll leave dinner in the fridge for you, okay?" And without waiting for an answer winked at Sora not unlike the red haired boy had winked at Roxas and began to walk away.

"Mother hen," Riku muttered his words from before and a giggle trailed back to tell them the subject had heard him.

And then Sora and Riku simply stood there, watching her go for a while before she disappeared over the first hill. Suddenly self-conscious for a reason he didn't feel like articulating to himself, Sora crossed his arms and shuffled his feet but did not look at the boy next to him. But Riku noted the behavior and simply said:

"So, let's go."

Footsteps started to continue down the other street and another set soon joined them, but no voices broke the silence through the remainder of the walk.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The elevator's dinging had a boxed in sort of quality, like a bad recording job, and the apartment halls smelled a bit musty but Sora found as Riku unlocked his door that the inside of the living space was much different—well in Riku's case anyway. It was plain perhaps, okay, it was downright prison material as far as decorations went—and at least _they_ had those nifty bars to throw some extra shape around.

But it was clean and airy, bright and smelled nice compared to the building and elevator. Thinking thus, Sora padded around, eyeing the bed's neatly tucked covers with a smidgeon of surprise—he'd thought Riku was surely the type to give his own messiness a rival—and humming slightly to himself.

"What are you doing?" Riku was leaning against the closed door, watching him like someone who was afraid of what someone like Sora might discover through such an inspection of the few things he had...which he was.

"Looking at you," was the simple answer that wasn't simple at all and Riku quieted, letting the brunet finish his brief survey of the kitchen and so on. He sighed loudly, coughed pointedly and then settled for anxious staring. "Okay, I'm ready!" Sora turned to him suddenly and spread his arms wide, palms facing front.

"Huh?" Riku blinked.

"My haircut?" Sora folded his arms across his chest.

"Oh right," Riku disappeared hastily into the bathroom, returning soon with scissors, a towel, and a razor.

"That looks...not...safe," Sora eyed the razor.

"It's safe," Riku laughed and without thinking took the boy's hand in his. The warmth there was unmistakable as their palms met and fingers intertwined...familiar...but beyond that the brunet couldn't place it, so once again he let the thought go as their hands parted and Riku gestured at one of the stools at the counter. "Sit here." And Sora did. "Just a trim?" Sora nodded. "Alright."

Snip. Snip. Snip.

"Hey Riku?"

Snip.

"Mm?"

Snip, snip.

"...never mind."

Snip...snip.

"Sora?"

Snip, snip.

"Mm?"

"Don't move."

The razor was safe and didn't hurt, as promised, and the slight purring sensation on the back of Sora's neck was actually quite pleasant. There wasn't much to do there though, so Riku soon set it aside and unwrapped the towel from Sora, around who he had thrown it before beginning the quick trim. A slight itch at the back of his neck had Sora trying to flick at whatever was there and Riku turned to see this after having tossed the towel in the hamper.

"Oh, sorry about that," Riku said and then, "Hold still, I'll get it."

Sora felt himself both freeze and grow almost unbearably hot as a quick breath of air brushed the back of his neck...once, twice...three times.

He closed his eyes.

"Better?"

Uh...

"Yeah," Sora said quickly and hopped off the stool. Of course, in his haste he seemed to misjudge the distance from his feet to the ground and slipped, landing with a resounding thud on his face. He groaned. A shuffle indicated Riku kneeling beside him...a hand on his shoulder...

"Sora! You okay? Dummy." A firm grip on his shoulders helped pull him upright and Sora stared unblinking into endless aquamarine for a few seconds, a few breaths, nothing more or less.

But somehow it felt like someone had packed twenty-four hours of raw feeling inside of those brief moments.

Pulse racing in a way that made him feel unhealthy and jubilant, Sora leapt to his feet...back and away from Riku who stood slowly, eyeing him in question.

"Uh, thanks, um, I guess I...do you want me to pay you or something?" Sora looked at his feet. Riku chuckled.

"No, it's just a haircut," was the response.

"Are you sure?" Sora wanted a reason to fill the space with the noise of words. This was the most uncomfortable he'd ever felt in his entire life—well, right up there with having to wear girls' clothes that one time when Kairi...

"Actually..." Riku's voice had dropped lower...something was different...Sora looked up. He hadn't realized how close they were and as Riku brought his lips to brush against Sora's right cheek, the smaller boy repressed the trembling in his heart. "...now that you mention it..."

There it was again, that crazy surge of heat through every limb, every muscle...that increase in the beat of his heart...Sora blinked fiercely...

"We're just...pretending...right?" Sora whispered because he didn't want to hear his own words. Riku's left hand traced his jaw with such care he wanted to turn away.

"Yep," Riku said and stepped back, sharing a long steady gaze with blue eyes that defined the word 'confounded' in all its senses. The quiet grew, seemed to span hours though it was really only seconds, a minute at most, and Sora felt the need to say something, anything and all but shouted the first thing that came to mind.

"Kairi's not my girlfriend!"

Sora brought his hand to his forehead which would have been melodramatic except that this was one of those rare times when the action was actually a perfect match for the situation.

"Good."

Sora let his hand drop.

"Huh?"

"Good." That was it, no explanation behind that lazy smirk of Riku's, no clue...just 'good'.

"So um...I guess I'll go...now," Sora said slowly, afraid something even more random and more ridiculous would escape instead if he wasn't careful. Riku showed him needlessly to the door.

"I can walk you," Riku offered, leaning in the doorway as Sora was half-way to the elevator. When Sora turned to give him a hesitant look, Riku waved a hand at him with a half-forced laugh, "As _friends_, you blockhead. You don't live too far, but it's getting dark." Sora glanced down the hall at the window at its end. Sure enough the sun was just sinking below the horizon.

_--------------------_

_A setting sun..._

_--------------------_

"Nah I'm fine," Sora said though and then, "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

Why am I asking him that? Of course I'll see him tomorrow. Stupid, stupid, stupid, Sora's mind chanted but he had a feeling it was mocking him more than berating him.

"You will." It sounded like a promise...again with that strange familiarity...but Sora simply nodded and disappeared inside the elevator. He didn't feel like dealing with whatever mind games he was playing on himself, certain as he was that they were being played.

As the elevator doors shut Riku sighed.

What a strange day.

Maybe tomorrow would be better.

Well, it hadn't all been useless. Sure maybe Sora still thought this was all a game, when to Riku it meant more...years of waiting, years of hoping, years of daring to wish...Sure Sora still didn't even seem to see him quite as a friend...but he'd seen a couple of shifts in the brunet's behavior today. Once when he insisted Riku join a club of some kind; he wanted Riku to have friends. And again when he let him cut his hair; he was trying to bridge the gap between them that Riku had accidentally made by jumping into the 'be my boyfriend' escapade.

These were all things Riku mulled over as he sat down on his bed, those things...and thoughts of other days with a small brunet boy, wooden swords, end-of-summer promises, and little-known secrets.

Oh and one other thing, Riku's mind pointed out before he fell asleep that night.

Kairi was not Sora's girlfriend.

Turning on his side, Riku smiled to himself.

No, today might have been strange, but not useless...not at all.

He'd waited years to find Sora again. He could wait a little longer for the brunet to do the same.

But what if he doesn't?

That whisper of doubt that he carried with him everywhere...

He closed his mind to it as best he could.

_--------------------_

_A rising moon..._

_--------------------_

* * *

Sorry for the wait. More soon I hope.

I'm working on compiling a list of Soriku FF and the list so far is at my journal (the website on my profile) and there's a link in the side bar to it, for anyone who's looking for fanfiction or has a recommendation. They're mostly all on so you've probably read them, but eh, thought I'd mention it.

So I didn't get to everything I planned in this chapter and I realize I write smaller chapters –bows- I'm sorry! I just don't like to force anything extra if it doesn't seem to go right, you know?

Anyways, thanks for reading…and like I said, more soon I hope!

Yuki: Uh-huh, sure. And those one-shots you promised? And that doujinshi you've decided to make? And that job you need to get? And that—

Riyu: Mou...Yuki! Gimme a break. Geez. You're just sour because I'm using you and your experience with the play last spring for 'Crossplay'! I know it!

Yuki: Am not.

Riyu: You are. Your left hand is on your hip and your frown is entirely to the right...that means you're lying! Ha! I win.

Yuki: ...just go write some more. I'm going to bed. Feel free to join me.

Riyu: ...that's a hard choice.

Yuki: I _can_ kick you out you know...now come on.

More updates for the other stories...soon...in order of the way they need to be updated, so that means 'Be My Angel' is next.


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